Deep Sleep
by Purpleblob
Summary: DISCONTINUED - Like any normal demigod, Percy Jackson jumped at the chance of immortality. There were no second thoughts. But when Annabeth is hospitalised after a terrible accident, Percy may haveto rethink his decision. And will Annabeth ever wake from her deep sleep?
1. Forgetting to look

**Hiya!**

**This is my second fanific , so it might not be very good. I'm cool with constructive criticism and to be honest, flames don't really get to me. Hope you enjoy **

One. Annabeth

The rain poured down heavily, soaking through the thin cotton of my hood. It was only about six o'clock, but the dark clouds made everything seem so much sadder.

Greyer.

Darker.

I couldn't wait to get home: it had been a long day. Not that I hadn't had fun, it just wasn't the same without Percy around.

No, don't say that. He left you! He didn't want you! Get over him!

I shook my head, banishing the malicious voice from my head. It wasn't that I didn't know it was true, it just... I just didn't like thinking about it. It hurt.

Thalia had made me come out today. I'd since hiding away, an empty shell, since that day.

He'd let me down.

Just like everyone else.

If I'd had my way, I would still be at the beach, crying my eyes out.

It was my hideout. My special place. To most, it would have just been an empty grey cave, but it was my saviour. The place I came when I needed space to breathe. Time to think things through…or cry things through.

My cave had seen me shed tears over numbers of people, as it was the place I could really cry in peace. I'd cried over Thalia turning into a tree when I was seven, and over it not working out with my Dad. I'd cried bitterly over Luke, and times when I was just having a bad day.

But most of all, I'd cried over Percy.

I hated him. Yet, I didn't.

I wished he was here. Yet, I didn't.

I wished he would just say sorry. And I hoped he had a good reason for doing all this.

What am I saying? Of course he did. He was offered immortality! Who would be stupid enough to turn that off down?

But for some reason, I had hoped Percy was.

I pulled my jacket around me tighter, catching a glimpse of my wrists. The skin was red and raw, but not nearly as bad as it had been before.

I'd had a hard time hiding them in front of everyone today. Katie, Nico, all my other friends.

Thalia already knew, of course.

She'd seen when she came to get me out of the cave.

_I was curled up against a boulder, watching the waves lap at the cave entrance. It hurt so much. _

_It was like I'd been ripped apart, but now I couldn't find all the pieces._

_I just needed a break from the pain. _

_A small, jagged stone sticking up from the sand glinted in the sunlight, catching my eye._

_Maybe this pain, a new pain, would distract me front the hurt I was feeling right now._

_Whatever happened, I didn't care. I just didn't want to feel so empty._

_Gripping the jagged rock, I scraped a small cut on the inside of both of my wrists._

_The pain sunk through me and I sighed, closing my eyes and leaning back against the boulder. _

_Soon the pain would fill my mind. I wouldn't be able to think anymore. I wouldn't feel the loss..._

_"Annabeth!" A loud, angry scream interrupted my thoughts._

_Crap. Please don't be who I think it is!_

_Suddenly, the pain had gone. I was now scared for my life._

_Slowly I opened my eyes._

_Standing ankle deep it water at the entrance of the cave was Thalia, a horrified expression on her face._

_She'd seen me. She'd seen the cuts. She'd seen the blood covered rock._

_She'd put two and two together. And now I was dead._

_"Annabeth," She whispered menacingly, her silver circlet glistening in the sunlight._

_When Thalia whispered, you knew you were in for it. Sure, when she got mad she'd blow up in your face, but those were only short bursts. They never lasted long._

_But when she whispered, you knew she was really angry._

_"Annabeth, please tell me I'm seeing wrong. You're not really doing this."_

_All I could do was stare at her guiltily._

_Suddenly she was beside me and I was sobbing._

_"You're not really doing this because of him!" She put her arm round me, but I heard a strange hint of disbelief in her tone. "He's a jerk. I know you thought he was different." She sighed, "We all did." _

_She shifted round to look at me, her blue eyes piercing into my soul._

_"You're better than him Annabeth. You're so much better then Percy." _

_A fresh round of tears hit me as she said his name._

_"You know that, right?" She hugged me close, "He doesn't deserve someone as good as you."_

_I laughed shakily._

_"Just promise me something?" She asked, stroking my curls._

_I nodded._

_"Don't go around stabbing yourself. Next time you might not be so lucky."_

_"So what you're saying is," I gulped, my voice thick with tears, "That if I want to slice myself with a rock, I've got to come find you first?"_

_She laughed and I felt better._

_Not good...just better._

I glared up at the sky, as thunder boomed overhead. Olympus had been restored for barely a week and already Zeus and Poseidon were fighting. It was childish.

Thalia had dragged me out today, against my own will.

"You've gotta stop hiding away!" She'd told me, dragging me out of my cabin.

I'd just moaned.

Though, I suppose it hadn't been completely against my will. I'd been sobbing for a week now; I needed something to distract me. It was getting a little sad.

I plodded along the street, staring at the ground. It was too wet to look around me, so I'd have to settle with watching the road.

All in all, I'd had an alright day. I mean, I was tired and all, but it had been good to talk to my friends. Well, the friends I had that were still alive.

And no one had brought up Percy.

I shuddered in the cold.

Why did he have to go? He could have still been happy! Did he not think?

Did he not think of me?

I ha-

"Annabeth, NO!"

My head shot up, trying to locate the heartbreakingly familiar voice that had interrupted my thoughts.

But then I saw where I was.

And what was about to happen.

It was too wet. I couldn't see well. But I hadn't been concentrating.

I was in the road, ambling across the street without looking to see what was coming.

I didn't know. My head was down.

I finally saw the face. Percy. Heartbroken. Distraught.

I took a mental picture of his head and shut my eyes, bracing myself for the pain.

I would have rather had a picture of him smiling, but any picture was good enough.

"Annabeth, NO!"

This was it.

I closed my eyes, waiting for the pain.

But it didn't come.

Instead something was pulling me under. Gripping my ankle as it dragged me beneath the surface.

A deafening scream escaped my lips.

I was choking. Gasping for air.

But it wouldn't come…

**Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! Please review :D**


	2. The Black Sudan

**Hiya guys.**

**Here's the 2****nd**** Chapter. I'd just like to say thanks to everyone who added this to their story alert, it made my day. Hopefully this chapter won't disappoint (If it does, then sorry, but remember this is Percy's POV, so he's a bit less articulate about his emotions then Annabeth.). Also, if you're wondering who Lyra is (mention about two thirds of the way through), she is Percy's twelve year old demigod sister. If you want to know more about her you can check my other fanific Finding Lyra, but it isn't really necessary.**

**Sorry for the long authors not *looks guilty*.**

**Enjoy **

2. Percy

It was a black Sudan.

The car. The car that hit her. It was a black Sudan.

I didn't know how, after all this, I could remember the car.

But I did.

I was walking down the street, looking for a taxi to catch to camp. I didn't need to call the Grey Sisters - I wasn't in a rush and I didn't want my remains splattered all over the seats.

I knew I could do that funny apparating thing where I would appear at camp, but that always made me dizzy. I wasn't yet used to being a god's perks.

I'd hadn't seen her since that night, up on Olympus. It was my birthday – the best and worst one of my life.

_"I accept."_

She didn't understand. She'd not let me explain.

I was doing this to help! Trying to protect her!

If I was a God, I'd be able to protect everyone so much better! I could help make things better up on Olympus. I would have made sure the Gods had kept the promise! There would be peace for once. I mean, I'd never thought I'd see myself as the peacemaker but I could suddenly picture it! I'd seen so many things I would of never imagined possible today, suddenly it didn't seem so out of the question. I would have still seen her! Maybe not as much but…

_I'd turned around to watch her reaction but she was already gone. Running through a destroyed Olympus, tears streaking her face._

But she wasn't meant to act like this! I thought she would be happy! I didn't know she cared this much.

"_All hail Perseus Jackson…"_

I didn't know she thought this.

I always had. I suppose that was part of the reason I'd accepted.

Whenever I was around her, she always seemed to get hurt. I couldn't deny that the shoulder incident was my fault. Even if she did choose it, even if it saved my life. Even if she was better now, she'd still got hurt.

So, as a God I would be able to protect her! She'd never get hurt because of me again. Although, I could never explain this to her. She'd probably kill me. Annabeth does not like to be thought of as 'needed protection'.

"…_Minor God of the Seas."_

_I looked up to all the cheering and clapping. It was strange though. You could see Poseidon was truly happy for me, but there was some other kind of emotion was caught in his eye. Like he was overjoyed, yet a little disappointed all the same. It was confusing._

Athena, well, Athena was a different story.

I still shuddered at the look of pure disgust and betrayal on her mother's face as they made me immortal.

Because that was the last I was ever going to see of her. My best friend.

Annabeth.

Yet, here I was, wandering the streets, wishing she would talk to me.

I couldn't talk to her. No, she deserved better than that. I couldn't hurt her again.

The clouds thundered down overhead and the heavens poured down on the unusually quiet New York streets.

A hooded figure shivered as they walked down the opposite side of the street.

I couldn't tell if it was a man or woman as their hood hid their face from view and the away they were hunched over, as if they were hiding from something.

I didn't usually analyse people like this. That was more of a Lyra thing to do.

But this person had me enthralled. Like it was someone I should know, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

The figure turned to cross the street without looking up to see if there were any cars coming.

Headlights flared as a black Sudan sped round the corner, unusually fast.

Realisation of what was about to happen slowly sunk in.

"Hey!" I yelled to the figure, "Watch out!"

The head snapped up, searching for my voice.

Blonde curls framed a very familiar face.

Annabeth.

Instead of running out of the way like any normal person would have done, she just stared at me, a defeated look in her eyes.

The car hadn't seen her yet. By the time it did, it would be too late.

I was paralysed to the spot, wishing I could do something.

The car was close now.

She wasn't moving.

It was going to hit her.

"Stop!" I tried to yell, but my mouth was dry and hoarse.

Annabeth closed her eyes, waiting. What was wrong with her?

"Annabeth, NO!" My voice could barely be heard over the squeals of the tires.

I watched in horror as the scene unfolded.

Annabeth standing there, refusing to move. The car skidding as it tried to break on the wet streets.

Annabeth flying through the air, screaming one last petrified scream, before she hit the ground, her head cracking against the tar with a sickening thud.

Suddenly my feet were free and I ran like hell to her side. My brain was working overtime, taking in everthing. I could see the way her blonde curls were strewn messily over her face and her arm stuck out at an odd angle. I heard every shallow breath that was drawn through her lips. I could feel the heat radiating off her skin. And I could hear the pulse. The weak pulse that would give way, any second…

"Annabeth!" I whispered in horror.

"I didn't see her! It was so dark! I thought she was going to move!" I heard the driver yell in horror as he jumped out of his car.

I didn't reply.

If only I had some Nectar or Ambrosia on me! I could heal the bleeding gash on her forehead. It might even help her regain consciousness.

"I'll call 911."

That caught my attention.

"No."

And with that, I picked up Annabeth's mangled corpse gingerly and turned on the spot, instantly appearing in the Olympus throne room.

I didn't know what the mist had made the driver see, but I couldn't care less at the moment.

Gasps of horror echoed round the room as the Gods noticed us.

My vision swirled. I'd never apparated with another person before. It took too much strength.

"Help." I murmured before my knees buckled.

And everything went black.

**Thanks for reading! I hoped you liked it! If not the next one is from Annabeth's POV so hang in there. Please review :D**

**Purpleblob**


	3. Up in the Clouds

**Hi guys! Here's a new chapter. Nothing very interesting happens in this chapter, so it's kind of an in between chapter. **

**Also, they are refurbishing my computer room, starting from today so I won't have access to my home computer for the rest of the week. Don't be mad! I will try and get on a computer and update at school or go round to one of my friends and use their's (They have gotten used to me stealing their precious resources. Food, water, internet access, etc.). Anyway, that's just if I don't update for a few days. I have up to chapter 7 written down, they just need typing up and checking.**

**My author's notes seem to be getting longer…**

I became aware of voices around me sometime later. My sense of time was completely frazzled. I wouldn't even know if it was the same year.

My eyes fluttered open, revealing my location.

I stared around me.

Wow.

This was weird.

I was standing in the middle of a white plain, which looked strangely fluffy.

Cool mist curled and twisted around my ankles. My hair blew about gently in the wind, blowing it out of my eyes.

The white fluffiness spread out for miles in each direction, continuing until it reached a vanishing point, somewhere along the horizon. The horizon? Did you even get horizons in the clouds?

The clouds. Ah. That was where I was.

"Annabeth." A child's voice sobbed softly.

I whipped round, searching for the voice.

If anyone was with me on this vast dreamland, I would have been able to see them. There was nothing to hide behind.

No one was here.

"She might be able to hear you, honey." A new voice pierced the silence loudly. I flinched away from the noise, covering my ears. Too loud.

There seemed to be some kind of shuffling, before the first voice spoke again.

"Annabeth? Can you hear me?"

I knew this voice.

Lyra.

"Annabeth, it's me, Lyra." Like I thought, "Annabeth, if you can hear me, squeeze my hand. I'm holding yours right now."

I stared down at my own hand in shock. No one was anywhere near me, let alone holding my hand.

"Annabeth, that car. It hit you."

The car.

Realisation flooded my mind as the memories of the day all flooded back to me.

I was walking. It was raining. Percy was there. And then I was here.

"Annabeth, you're in a coma."

The words shot through me like bullets, piercing my heart.

I could hear a strange, soft hiccupping noise in the distance, but it took me a while to realise what it was.

Lyra was crying.

Everything was coming to me too slowly. It took me too long to realise where I was. Too long to realise what was happening. It was like someone had dulled my senses. Turned off my reflexes.

"Annabeth, he was so angry. It scared me. When they told him you weren't awake yet. He thinks it's his fault Annabeth! He thinks he hurt you. Annabeth he wants to kill himself." The small girl sobbed.

I longed to comfort her, to stretch out my hand and pat her back.

But I couldn't. I was on a cloud.

Then the truth of her words sunk in.

"It's Percy, Annabeth. He wants to kill himself."

Percy. Tried. To. Kill. Himself.

Instantly alarms went off and sirens filled the silence.

I fell to my knees, my vision swirling immensely.

"What did you do?" I heard someone shriek.

"I didn't touch anything!" I heard Lyra's petrified voice over all the wailing, "I was talking to her and suddenly all this happened!"

"I can't stop it. You need to find out what exactly happened before the alarms went off." A new voice yelled over the machinery.

The clouds swirled around me, changing mysteriously from light to dark.

"What happened?" The shrieking voice demanded. This was definitely Thalia.

"I-I asked if she could hear me. Then, I uh, I told her she was in a coma. Then..." Lyra trailed off.

"Then what?" Thalia shrieked, making the cloud beneath me shake violently.

"I-I, I told her about Percy! I said that he was angry. I said I was scared. I didn't know, Thalia! I was scared; I just wanted someone to listen to me!" The sobs flowed freely now.

I fell to my knees, clutching my head. The sirens. They were so loud. If only they'd stop.

My vision swirled.

"Lyra," Thalia whispered menacingly.

I shuddered, closing my eyes as I tried to block out the pain.

"What was the last thing you said?"

I could see the scene in my mind. Lyra staring terrified into Thalia's angry blue eyes and she was shaken about roughly.

"I-I told her about Percy. I said he wanted to kill himself."

"You what?" A third voice boomed, making my head spin dizzily.

"Percy!" Lyra squeaked.

I writhed around on the floor in pain.

Stop. Stop! Please!

"You what!"

And I lost whatever little consciousness I still had.

**At the top, I forgot to say my thanks to everyone that added my story to their Story Alert.**

**So, THANKYOU! When I saw how many people had subscribed I screamed. (It was 6AM, as you can imagine, my parents were not happy…)**

**Also, thanks a lot to CoolWater123, greek-mythology-lover and xXxrouxXx for your reviews. They mean a lot. (xXxrouxXx – I think the next 3 or so chapters will answer your questions.)**

**Thanks for reading! **

**Purpleblob :D**


	4. Red Alert

**Hi guys!**

**I'm happy I got to update today, even though I should have been doing my Math homework…**

**Also, I finished Chapter 7 in Science: I ended up getting a detention for missing the questions – I hope you're happy!**

**I have got my thank yous at the bottom because you're probably getting bored of me nattering on. So enjoy…**

Red Alert

Red.

Black.

Red.

Fire.

I'd never experienced anger like this before.

It burned through me, ripping every calm thought from my body. I was no longer able to reason.

Thalia had made me leave Annabeth's side. She said I was too distraught. Something about me losing control and revealing my godly form. Also, I was scaring Lyra.

"She'll be alright."

I looked round to see Grover standing behind me. He placed a hand comfortingly my shoulder.

"What if she's not?" I demanded, waves of anger rippling through my body.

The hand of comfort turned to one of restraint.

"Dude, you need to calm down. Any angrier and we're both going to burst into flames."

I stared at him in confusion.

"Empathy link."

Oh.

Duh.

"But what if she stays like this?" I yelled, kicking a stone pillar with such force, some of the stone crumbled away.

I cursed. I wasn't yet used to my godly strength.

Grover snickered.

"When she wakes up, she will kill you."

We cracked up, despite the situation. It felt good to laugh, it had been so long since I'd last had the time to laugh, what with the war and then this.

But then the anger shot back to me, pricking my hear like a thousand needles.

Annabeth might be dead. And it was probably my fault.

"Hey. She's going to be fine." Grover said with such determination, I almost believed it was true. "This is Annabeth we're talking about. She wouldn't give up, so neither should you."

I appreciated his tries, but they didn't make me feel much better.

We sat in silence for a moment, looking out over Olympus. A cool breeze blew against my skin, settling my frayed nerves.

I watched as children ran in between alleyways, their flustered mothers chasing after them. Somewhere on the edge of town, a group of demigods were overseeing a building project. It was probably one of Annabeth's.

Every window box was full of colourful flowers that changed day to day, depending on the owner of the house's mood. I knew exactly what colour mine would be.

It was almost peaceful. Somewhere between happiness and depression, where the lost came to think. And I was most definitely lost.

Of course, I should have known it wouldn't last long. The Fates never seemed to want to take pity on me.

Suddenly, strange sirens echoed in the distance.

I turned to see where the strange noise was coming from, and instantly spotted it.

Oh no.

Oh, hell no.

Suddenly I felt warning alarms erupt in my mind.

Annabeth. Oh crap.

Grabbing Grover's arm, I twisted in mid air, appearing in Annabeth's private room.

Sure enough, the machines were whirring like crazy. Red lights flashed as one of the nurses tried to settle the system.

In front of me, Thalia was gripping my little sister Lyra by the shoulders, a menacing growl escaping her lips.

"What was the last thing you said?" She growled, threateningly.

Lyra was shaking. Fear filled her eyes.

"I-I told her about Percy. I said he wanted to kill himself."

"You what?" I demanded.

No one was meant to know about that! How did she know?

Lyra whipped around, her eyes widening in horror.

"Percy!" She squeaked.

"You what!"

I was shaking uncontrollably. Anger tore through me, ripping my heart to shreds.

Everything else was gone. All I could see was the infuriating little girl in front of me. So fragile, a wave of my hand and she would be out cold.

But somewhere deep down I was scared. This wasn't like me. I didn't yell at people. I was never this angry.

It felt like someone had cut away my safety net, and now I was tumbling into the unknown.

Someone had cut away Annabeth,

And I'd been falling ever since.

**Okay, I know it's not very long and it's kind of a repeat of the last chapter in Percy's POV, but things get better, I promise!**

**Now for thankyou's. **

**I could say "OMG, Thankyou all so much for the reviews and Story Alerts, it is like, so, totally awesome!", but I won't. Instead I will say that it made my day. My brother wanted to know why I was smiling like a hyena… **

**Anyway, I hoped you liked it. If not, then sorry… I'll try to do better!**

**Purpleblob :D**


	5. Uninteresting White Fluff

**Heya people :D**

**Okay, I'm sorry this chapter is really short but the next one kind of makes up for it. Don't be mad!**

**I don't really have much else to say… so enjoy!**

Uninteresting White Fluff

After the initial shock of being unable to communicate with anyone, I realized how boring this place really was.

All it was was fluff. Uninteresting white fluff.

I wandered around for a while, searching for some means of activity, but I soon gave up, seeing my tries were worthless.

There was nothing here. Absolutely nothing.

A low hum of voices whirred in the background, just out of my concentration. They were loud enough for me to hear, but not interesting enough for me to listen.

Something about being 'In a critical but stable condition' and 'Big changes happening in very small ways.'

If you asked me, that made no sense at all. And I was a child of Athena.

It was strange, walking in this world.

I wasn't really moving. No, it was more like gliding. If I wanted to go somewhere, I'd just have to think about it and I was gliding across the clouds. I wasn't even moving my feet.

I wondered if this was what death felt like.

I'd seen the underworld before and this was nothing like it. It couldn't be hell. But then what was it?

I was lying flat on my stomach, lacing my fingers through the soft fluffy texture of the clouds.

I was subconsciously searching for an interesting conversation. Scanning the sounds for some helpful advice. Something that would help me get out of here.

I was never one for freaking out and having a panic attack. No, I should stay calm and try and figure out a plan to escape this...

This what?

What would you call my cage?

This nothing.

So far today, the only helpful information I had been given was from Lyra.

She was the only one who talked to me. The only one who really believed I could hear her. The others just muttered in the background. They probably thought she was crazy.

"It's been a week now, Annabeth." She'd told me earlier, much to my surprise.

It didn't feel that long, I couldn't have really been sitting here that long! Sure, it felt like ages to me, but I was on a cloud with nothing to do! It would seem like ages.

Then again, I had been sleeping a lot. Slowly drifting in and out of consciousness.

"You've gotta wake up." It had sounded like she was whispering, "Everyone's freaking out! It's not the same without you here. You keep everything under control! But..." She had trailed off, "I get why you're not. If I were you, I wouldn't either. I would want things to be sorted out for when I woke up. So that's what I'm going to do." She'd said matter of factly.  
"I'm working on Percy for you. He'll talk to you and then you'll want to wake up!"

NO! , I'd almost screamed, before I remembered my screaming wouldn't help anything.

I was still isolated.

She was right in a way.

The person I really wanted to talk to was Percy. I mean, I'd listened to Thalia, Grover and a few of my other friends ramble on about how they hoped I could hear them, and if I could then I needed to wake up. It had gotten pretty boring.

Percy, well, I hadn't heard from Percy yet. Everyone was saying how distraught he was, but if he was so upset, why hadn't he talked to me?

It had been a week, after all.

"Annabeth?"

I bolted upright, my heart skipping a beat.

Darn, he had amazing timing.

"Annabeth? Can you hear me?" Percy asked, sheepishly.

It was silent for a moment - he seemed to be waiting for an answer.

I felt the sudden urge to reach out and smack him.

What did he expect? 'Why yes Percy, I can hear you. Too bad I'm in a coma and can't reply!'

"Stupid question." I heard him mutter.

Yeah.

"So, if you can hear me, I uh..." he trailed off.

That was definitely the ever awkward Percy I knew.

"I'm sorry."

I sat there, speechless as I stared up at the sky. It was weird, I'd taking to staring above me when I was listening to someone. It was like I expected a hand to materialize out of the sky and pluck me out of this hellhole.

But he'd said sorry. He'd actually said sorry!

"I'm sorry for everything. Sorry that you're in a coma, sorry that I stood there dumbstruck when I could have saved you..." He paused, "And, well I just thought you should know that. That I'm sorry. Really, really sorry."

Tears sprung to my eyes and I didn't even bother to brush them away. Who was going to see me? I was on a cloud for Hades sake!

There was some kind of shuffling in the background and I strained to hear his next words.

"Uh, Annabeth? I've got to go now, sorry. There's some sort of problem down in my Dad's kingdom so I better go help."

No Percy, please don't go! Percy!

"So, uh, bye then."

And he was gone.

I screamed, thrashing against the soft white cloud.

"Let me out!" I yelled, pulling apart cloud, only to reveal more cloud underneath.

Why was I here? What had I ever done to deserve this?

"Percy!" I screeched to the vast emptiness, "Help me!"

No one replied.

"Anyone? Thalia? Grover? Lyra? Anyone!"

Nothing.

And as I collapsed defeated onto the soft cushiony base of my prison, I felt a sensation I'd not experienced for a long time.

I was scared.

Because now, I was well and truly alone.

**Not my best chapter, I know – but don't stop reading! The next one is good, it's just a but long…**

**I cannot say thankyou enough to everyone who has reviewed and added my story to their Story Alert. I don't really know how to thank you guys so…uh…have a virtual cookie!**

**I will upload the next chapter later today so… bye for now!**

**Purpleblob :D**


	6. Theories and Decisions

**Hey guys!**

**Here's the next chapter! I hope you like it (it's kinda long…)!**

**Enjoy **

This is becoming depressing, you know."

I peered over my shoulder to see Lyra swimming up beside me. She plopped down beside me and we watched the peaceful ocean kingdom.

Schools of fish swan past us; Lyra giggled as a few nibbled at her toes. Some nyaids waved at me from a clump of seaweed, but I didn't have the heart to wave back. Usually I was mesmerized by the ocean, teeming with life. The beautiful colours of the seabed rocks were usually much more enthralling.

Today everything looked grey.

"She's going to be alright, you know." Lyra smiled sympathetically up at me.

Lyra was small for her age and usually looked about nine or ten, despite her being twelve. She'd also missed out a lot of her childhood due to this Greek stuff, so it was only fair if she got to act like a kid sometimes.

Yet, it was times like this when I saw she was really much older then she made out to be. There was that knowing glint in her eyes, the one that made you feel small. And all the pain and suffering she'd ever seen reflected onto her heart shaped face. It was times like this when I wondered if maybe she should have been the big sister.

"Everyone keeps saying that." I muttered sulkily, staring at a group of hippocampi twisting in the water.

She smiled.

"That's because you won't believe us."

I sighed. Even though I knew she was right, it still annoyed me.

"You need to get out more." She sighed, leaning into me. "You should come to camp, at least for the rest of the week. Everyone misses you..." She trailed off.

I didn't reply for a moment, instead I kept gazing out into the depths of the ocean. I watched a school of tiny grey fish slither about happily in the water. How peaceful it would be to be a fish? No immortality. No cars. No almost brain dead friends. Just water.

Deep in the vain little corner of my mind, I secretly wished I'd been made a God of something a little more important then 'minor god of the sea'. I mean, sure I loved the sea but, well, it would have been nice to have been made something a little more important.

"Don't go joining Kronos' side will you?"

Alarmed, I turned to glare at Lyra. An evil grin was spread across her face.

Crap, we were in water. She knew what I was thinking. Oh gods, I'd probably sounded really big headed. I was immortal, for crying out loud! Some people would give an arm and a leg for that kind of privilege!

"You did." Lyra smiled, answering my thoughts, "But it's okay, I forgive you."

I snickered.

It was strange. She could always tell exactly what I was thinking, yet I could only hear what she wanted me to know. Eh, my head's full of kelp.

"You're right on that one. It is." She said matter of factly.

I gaped at her.

"I hate you." I muttered.

She snickered.

"But you know, if you want to help Annabeth get better, it might help if you stopped avoiding her."

I gave her a look that said 'Eh? What you talkin' 'bout sista?'

"Things happen for a reason. This isn't just an insane freak accident. This is the fates giving you another chance!"

I rolled my eyes at her. Only Lyra would be insane enough to suggest that theory.

"Don't you go all moody and psychic on me. That's Rachel's job."

It was her turn to roll your eyes at me.

"Don't be stupid." She glared at me.

"You seem to make out that that isn't possible for me. According to you I'm always stupid."

"Stop interrupting!" She yelled. But she muttered something else under her breath that I swear sounded a lot like 'fair point'.

I pretended to zip my lips, earning another eye roll. No, that worked on four year olds and Annabeth. I would never get a giggle out of Lyra when she was in this sort of mood.

"This is the fates giving you another chance with Annabeth! You can make it right! But look at you! Hiding away from the truth! She's not going to wake up 'til things change, Percy. However much you pray or sacrifice, it's not going to work." Angry tears started to pool in her eyes.

"Hey, hey, hey. You don't need to get angry! I'm listening!" I hurriedly tried to calm my little sister.

Her hands flew above her head in exasperation.

"I'm not angry!" She yelled.

I raised my eyebrows.

"I'm just upset. Upset about Annabeth, upset about the deaths at camp. But most of all, I'm upset about you. I'm upset that I know exactly how to fix this and you seem to be doing everything the opposite to what you should be doing! It's infuriating!"

I had to resist the sudden impulse to laugh.

"If being immortal would help you wake her up, she wouldn't still be in a coma! This is your job to fix." She yelled, angrily stabbing my chest with her finger.

"You want to see Annabeth again? You work things out. 'Cause she's not gonna open her eyes 'til you do!" She finished, out of breath.

I gaped at her. That was the longest speech I'd ever heard her make. She turned on her heel sharply before flicking her hair Aphrodite style and starting to swim away.

The only thoughts I could hear from her were: Stupid boy. Stupid, unhelpful boy.

"Hey! Wait!" I yelled, watching her swim to a stop.

She didn't turn around but I continued anyway.

"What do I do? How do I fix things?"

"That's for you to find out." Her voice drifted to me from where she was standing about 50 feet away.

The answer made my blood boil. Why? Why couldn't she help me?

"But if I were you, I would start by talking to her first." She turned to face me and I saw an evil grin spread across her face, "Oh, and try not to do anything stupid. I know that'll be hard for you, but things are going to get tougher before they get easier. We don't need you blowing up the place as you do it."

And with that Lyra swam away, leaving me to think.

I watched the endless ocean drift by, my mind in another world. In some ways, Lyra's speech had made no sense. I mean, how could she know what would save Annabeth?

But, in other ways, I did understand where she was coming from. I should go talk to her. It had been too painful to be near her for very long, but too painful to be very far away either.

So, I'd just stuck to being in the middle. I wasn't going to completely distance myself, but I wouldn't get too close. It hurt too much to see her lying there, connected to various bleeping machines.

But now, now I was decided.

I turned on the spot, appearing in Annabeth's room in a cloud of green mist, much to the nurses' surprise.

I flinched away from Annabeth when I saw her. It wasn't that I didn't like her, I just didn't really like hospitals, even Olympus ones.

Ask my Mom, she'll tell you how I used to keep any injuries a secret, in case they meant I had to go to the hospital. I once kept a broken arm hidden for three hours!

The doctor wasn't very happy. He kept muttering about how my Mom should keep a better eye on me and how irresponsible it was. I'd bitten him at that. No one's mean to my Mom.

I stared at Annabeth, lying there on the dazzlingly white sheets.

Her beautiful golden curls lay strewn across the pillow, her eyes delicately closed. There were a few grazes on her chin, but most of them had healed. Various tubes and wires connected to her arms, each feeding different things into her.

One took her heart rate, the other her blood pressure. A big grey wire connecting to a machine with a big hospital screen was monitoring her brain activity.

I looked up at it.

The line wasn't moving very much.

We could either go with the more likely theory and assume it was because she was in a coma. Or we could go with Lyra's theory and assume she was bored. I decided to test it.

"Annabeth? Can you hear me?" I murmured sheepishly to the unresponsive girl on the hospital bed.

As soon as I spoke, the little green needle on the brain activity machine shot up, jumping about manically.

I smiled to myself. She could hear me.

Suddenly the activity dropped, and I suddenly felt like I was being raised my eyebrows at.

I remembered with a pang what I'd just said.

"Stupid question." I muttered to myself.

I could just picture her smirking gleefully at me.

"So, if you can hear me, I uh..." I trailed off, trying to find the right words, "I'm sorry."

I took a deep shaky breath, wishing this was easier. But it wouldn't be. Like Lyra had said, Things were going to get tougher before they get easier.

"I'm sorry for everything. Sorry that you're in a coma; sorry that I stood there dumbstruck when I could have saved you..." I paused, searching for the right words, "And, well I just thought you should know that. That I'm sorry. Really, really sorry."

"Percy?" I looked up to see a tall Apollo camper, standing fully armored in the doorway. "A message from your father. He says he needs your help down at his palace. Urgently. Oh, and uh, sorry about Annabeth."

The boy sighed, gesturing to Annabeth. I nodded my thanks and watched the kid go.

"Uh, Annabeth? I've got to go now, sorry. There's some sort of problem down in my Dad's kingdom so I better go help." I sighed, stroking her fragile hand one last time before getting up to leave.

"So, uh, bye then."

As I walked through the large marble hallways, I wondered if I'd done any good.

It had hurt me to see Annabeth like that, so delicate, so fragile. Like, one bad fall and she'd have shattered the bones on both her arms.

Yet, I was happy I'd come. It had looked like she could hear me, and that she was actually happy to see me. Maybe Lyra's plan might actually work.

And as I turned on the spot, I realized one thing.

I'd found a piece of my safety net.

**Woo! Chapter 6 is done! Things are starting to fall into place (though we've still got a long way to go 'til the end).**

**Should Annabeth wake from her coma or not? I already know what's going to happen, but I just had a sudden thought…**

**Anyway, thanks sooo much for all the reviews and Story Alerts. I know everyone probably says this but when you get an email saying someone has reviewed you feel all warm and fuzzy (or in my case scream until your parents threaten to take away the PC.)**

**So… please review!**

**Purpleblob :D**


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